Article feeding machine



Jan. 10, 1933.

P. H. HUTCHINSON ET AL ARTICLE FEEDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 5. 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 3mm 1933- P. H. HUTCHINSON ET AL 1,893,839

ARTICLE FEEDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 5, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JUSEF KLJP HE/f? A 77'UR/VEY Jan. 1 19330 P. H. HUTCHINSON ET AL 193939839 ARTICLE FEEDING MACHINE Filed OGt. 5. 1929 Sheets-Sheet 3 v m M S SW. 0 EM 7 m m 4m R .VMF E mw Z Z a Jan. 10, 1933 P. H. HUTCHINSON ET AL 3 9 ARTICLE FEEDING MACHINE Filed Oct. 5. 1929 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG H Patented Jan. 10, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PHILIP H. HUTCHINSON, OF MONTCLAIR, AND JOSEPH KLOPAK, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, .ASSIGNORS TO GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION, OF DETROIT,- MICHIGAN,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE ARTICLE FEEDING MACHINE Application filed Gctober 5, 1929. Serial No. 397,720.

This invention relates to article feeding machines and comprises all the features ofnovelty herein disclosed. An object of the invention is to provide an improved machine for feeding articles, more especially cylindrical rollers whose length slightly exceeds the diameter. Another object is to provide a simple and highlv eii'icient feeding machine which will rap dly deliver articles from a 39 source of supply. Another object is to provide improved mechanism for positioning round articles in peripheral contact for a rolling delivery in a continuous stream.

To these ends and to improve generally and 13 in detail upon machines of this character. the

invention also consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed. in its broader aspects, the invention is not necessarily limited to the specific construction selected for llustrative purposes in the accompanving drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation with parts broken awav and in section.

Fig. 2 is a rear end view of a supporting 7 spider. to smaller scale than Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view of parts appearing in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front end view of Fig. 1, to smaller scale. taken a little above the horizontal and having parts broken away.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the outlet. Fig. 6 is a sectional view about on line 66 of Fig. 4 and enlarged.

Fig. 7 is a plan View of a detail.

Fig. 8 is a face view of the feed wheel.

Fig. 9 is a side view of Fig. 8. Figs. 10 and 11 are side views of details. Figs. 12, 13, 14 and 15 are detail v ews showing various positions of articles in relation to buckets.

Fig. 16 is a section on line 1616 of Fig. 4, enlarged.

Fig. 17 is a view similar to Fig. 5 with parts removed.

' The general operation consists in rotating an inclined bucket-carrying disc or wheel past one side of a fixed hopper, successively picking up articles, such as short cylindrical rollers. in a definite position on the buckets, presenting the rollers sidewise to a runway, and delivering the rollers to a chute or outlet from which the rollers roll by gravity while in peripheral contact.

The numeral 10 ndicates a horizontal base carrving a vertical standard 12 having an inclined portion 14 braced by a web or flange 16. These members rigidly carry a central hub or hearing 18 supporting a spider comprising radial arms 20 and a rim 2?. which is provided with a series of bosses 24 with tapped openings for supporting a cam ring. l'a1gs26 rotatably support a shaft 28 driven by a worm wheel 30 and worm 32 from an electric motor 34 mounted on the base. A worm 36 on the shaft 28 drives a worm wheel 38 whose hub is secured to a shaft 40 rotatably mounted in the bearing 18 and extending at an inclination to the horizontal. A collar 42 is fixed to the shaft above the spider and a hub 44 of a d sc or feed wheel 46 is secured to the shaft for rotation. The disc or wheel 46 has radial reinforcing webs 48 and its upwardly presented inclined surface 50 is flat and provided with openings 52 for guide bushings to be referred to.

A'series of forked buckets 54 are fixed to the wheel and each bucket comprises horns 56 at opposite sides of a concave seat 58 on which a round article A is picked up when the bucket traverses a hopper. The article seats are open to the hopper and are also open tangentially of the disc. Each bucket has an inclined bottom wall 60 and is secured to the flat surface 50 of the wheelf by screws 62 and dowel pins 64. Bushings 66 are pressed in the openings 52 of the wheel and serve as guides for pins 68 having cone heads 70 pressed by coil springs 72 against the edge of a fixed cam ring 74. The cam ring (conveniently made in sections) is rigidly secured by screws 76 to the bosses 24 on the rim 22 of the fixed spider. The purpose of the pins 68 is to lock an article in the concave seat 58 or to eject it if improperly positioned. \Vhen a bucket first enters the hopper, the pins are retracted by the coil springs to let an article enter the seat 58, but, as the bucket rises in the hopper, a cam face 78 presses the pin to holding or ejecting position where it is maintained for a period by a raised portion 80 of the cam ring. Later, the pins are withdrawn by the coil springs when the pins ride down the cam incline 82. Each pin is located with respect to the seat 58 at a distance which is greater than the diameter of a roller. lVhen the articles A are short cylindrical rollers, they may be picked up by the buckets in any of the four positions indicated in Figs. 12 to 15, the last position being the desired one. Should an article occupy any of the incorrect positions except the third, it will project into the path of the pin and be pushed ofi the bucket, but in the third positlon, it will be tilted over by the pin into correct seating engagement with the bucket. Gravity tends to hold the end of the article against the wheel and the article is locked in the bucket seat at right angles to the disc by the overlying pin until the pin is retracted at the cam incline 82.

A bracket 84 on the base is connected by a screw bolt 86 to a boss 88 on a stationar hopper and runway frame comprising a hu 90, radiating arms 92 and an arcuate rim 94. The frame has its hub sleeved on the upper end of the rotary shaft 40 where it is held by a collar 96. The arcuate rim 94 presents an open channel or runway 98 to the wheel and the channel opens at 100 (Figs. 4 and 6) into a hopper 102 which is desirably integral with the stationary frame and provided with an enlarged month 1041. The buckets 54 project upwardly and laterally into the channel and hopper which they traverse, picking up articles in the hopper and delivering them at 106 to the runway 98. Both the hopper and the runway are closed on one side by the fiat face of the disc. The outer wall of the runway has a tangential portion 108 merging with a radial outlet passage 110 in a radial extension 112 of the frame. An arcuate plate (Figs. 6 and 11) fits between the sides of the arcuate runway 98 and is adjustably mounted with respect to the stationary rim 94 and the wheel to conform to the length of the articles. Supporting pins 122, rivetted to the arcuate plate, project through guide bosses 124 on the rim, coil springs 126 in the bosses pressing the plate towards the wheel while nuts 128 threaded on the pins limit the adjusting movement. The arcuate plate has a radial extension 130 merging at 132 with its outer wall. The extension occupies one side of the outlet passage 110 of the frame.

To prevent the articles in the hopper 102 from dropping. into the runway at 100, a spring 136 (Fig. 6) having a bend 138 is secured by screws 140 to openings 142 in the arcuate plate. The bend 138 is yieldable to let the buckets carry articles from the runway to the hopper but this sort of action occurs with only a few articles (those that are not taken away from the feeder fast enough, as will appear). To prevent the feed wheel from pushing articles out of the mouth of the hopper, a curved deflecting spring 144 (Fig. 4) is secured to the hopper by screws 146. Another curved spring 148 is secured by screws 150 to the hopper and is flexed laterally of the wheel for deflecting any articles which might get supported on top of an article already properly seated in the passing bucket. In case an article should project too far endwise from a bucket when above the mouth of the ho per, it is pressed back again against the si e face of the wheel by a curved leaf spring 152 arranged in the path of the end of the article, the spring flexing laterally of the wheel and having an offset or bend 154 to enable it to clear the bucket. The spring is fastened by screws 156 to the hopper at a point beyond the periphery of the wheel.

After an article reaches its highest point on the feed wheel and enters the runway at 106, it is still retained for a time in the bucket by the pin 68. When the )in is withdrawn by its spring at the cam incline 82, the article drops onto the inclined bottom wall 60 of the preceding bucket and so, with the aid of some centrifugal force, rolls to the outer periphery of the runway. \Vhen it reaches the flaring or tangential wall 108, it continues to crowd outwardly and finally passes into the radial outlet passage 110 unless that passage is already full. In such case the roller is cammed back by the preceding roller into the arcuate runway and returns to the hopper without jamming the feed wheel. The open side of the outlet passage 110 is closed by a plate 160 hinged at 162 and having a notch 164 forking over a screw pin 166. At the end of the outlet )assage is a chute 168 having an attaching ange 170 fastened to the extension 112. The articles travel from the hopper to the chute and so away from the disc in the plane of the buckets and the runway and have no change of direction out of said plane.

lVhen the articles are cylindrical rollers, they are presented to the chute side by side in rolling engagement and so run down the chute for whatever treatment is desired. Usually such side by side feeding will be desired for a roller bearing assembling machine but may be useful for gauging machines or inspection. For feeding rollers of larger diameter it is only necessary to substitute buckets having a deeper seat 58. For

longer rollers, adjustment is alforded by the nuts 128 which withdraw th'earcuate plate 120 further away from the feed wheel and its buckets.

In operation, the feed wheel 46 rotates counterclockwise in Fig.4 to carry the buckets 54 upwardly through the hopper. Articles in the hopper that become properly seated on the buckets are temporarily locked by the )ins 68 under control of the stationary cam i8. Improperly seated articles are ejected into the hopper by the pins. Each article thus picked up is carried sidewise into the runway 98 at the point 106 and is later released by the pin 68 under control of the cam incline 82 and spring 72. The released article falls onto the inclined bottom 60 of the preceding bucket and rolls to the outer wall of the runway and finally emerges into the outlet passage 110. If the outlet passage is already full of articles, as when they are not taken away fast enough from the discharge chute 168, the article is cammed back by the preceding roller into the runway 98 and goes through the runway to the hopper again.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a wheel inclined to the vertical and having a flat face closing an open side of the hopper, buckets carried on the flat face of the wheel and projecting into the hopper, and means for rotating the wheel to cause the buckets to pick up articles and carry them beyond the hopper; substantially as described. I

2. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a frame having a runway, a hopper communicating with the runway, a wheel having a flat face closing an open side of the hopper and runway, bucket-s proiecting from the fiat face of the wheel into the iopper and runway, and means for rotating the wheel to carry articles from the hopper to the runway; substantially as described.

3. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a frame having a runway, a hopper communicating with the runway, a wheel having a flat face closing the open side of the hopper and runway, buckets projecting from the fiat face of the wheel into the hopper and runway, means for rotating the wheel to carry articles from the hopper to the runway, and means for holding articles in the buckets at the hopper and releasing them at the runway; substantially as described.

4. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a frame having a runway, a hopper, a wheel closing one side of the hopper and the runway and having buckets projecting laterally from the wheel into the hopper and runway, means for rotating the wheel to carry articles from the hopper to the runway, and holding devices movably mounted on the wheel for holding articles in the buckets at the hopper and releasing the articles at the runway; substantially as described.

5. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a frame havin a runway, a hopper, a wheel having open buckets projecting into the hopper and runway, means for rotating the wheel to carry articles from the ho per to the runway, holding devices movab y mounted on the wheel for holding articles in the buckets at the hopper and releasing the articles at the runway, and a cam controlling the actuation of the holding devices; substantially as described.

6. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a frame having a runway, a hopper, a wheel having open buckets projecting into the hopper and runway, means for rotating the wheel to carry articles from the hopper to the runway, pins slidably mounted on the wheel for holding articles in the buck ets at the hopper and releasing the articles at the runway, and a cam controlling the sliding of the pins; substantially as described.

7. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a frame having a runway, a hopper, a wheel outside of the hopper and having open buckets projecting laterally into the hopper and runway, means for rotating the wheel to carry articles from the hopper to the runway, devices for holding articles in the buckets at the hopper and releasing the articles at the runway, and means to direct articles from the runway to an outlet; substantially as described.

8. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a frame having a runway, a hopper, a wheel having a flat face closing an open side of the hopper and runway and having open buckets projecting into the hopper and runway, means for rotating the wheel to carry articles from the hopper to the runway, devices for holding articles in the buckets at the hopper and releasing the articles at the runway, and the buckets having cam surfaces to direct articles from the runway to an outlet; substantially as described.

9. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a frame having an arcuate guide for articles, a movable carrier closing one side of the article guide and having arti cle holding buckets traversing the guide, devices for releasing articles from the buckets at the guide, and each bucket having a cam face for directing a following article into an outlet in the guide; substantially as described.

10. In apparatus of the character described. in combination, a frame having an arcuate run way,a ho percommunicating with the runway, a movable carrier closing one side of the runway and having article holding buckets traversing the runway, devices for releasing articles from the buckets at the runway, means for directing articles from the runway into an outlet, and means for conducting excess articles past the outlet to the hopper; substantially as described. a I 11. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a frame havin areuate runway, a wheel closing one si e of the runway and havin article carrying buckets projecting into tie runway, and an arcuate plate fitting in the runway on the opposite side of the buckets from the wheel; substantially as described.

12. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a frame having an arcuate runway, a wheel closing onerside of the runway and having article carrying buckets projecting into the runway, an arouate late fitting in the runway adjacent to the hue ets, and means for adjusting the plate with respect to the wheel to vary the depth of the runway; substantially as described.

13. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a wheel having a side face closing one side of the hopper and having buckets with article seats open to the hopper, means for rotating the wheel, and a spring arranged in the path of the articles for pressing them against the side face .of the wheel; substantially as described.

14. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a wheel closing one side of the hopper and having buckets with article seats open to the hopper, 1

means for rotating the wheel, a spring flexing laterally of the wheel and arranged in the path of the articles for pressing them against the wheel, and a runway beyond said spring to receive the articles; substantially as described.

15. In apparatus of the character described, in combination. a hopper, a wheel having a side face closing one side of the hopper and having buckets with seats open laterally to the hopper, means for rotating the wheel to cause the buckets to pick up articles. and a spring arranged near the path of the buckets and flexing laterally of the wheel for wiping off articles which are improperly seated; substantially as described.

16. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a frame supporting the hopper and having an arcuate runway communicating withthe hopper, a wheel closing one side of the hopper and having buckets projecting laterally into the hopper and runway, and means for rotating the wheel to carry articles from the hopper to the runway; substantially as described.

17 In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a frame supporting the hopper and having an arcuate runway communicating with the hopper, a wheel concentric with the arcuate runway and closing the runway, buckets projecting laterally from the wheel into the hopper and runway, and means for rotating the wheel; substantially as described.

18. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a frame supporting the hopper and having an arcuate runway with an outlet, means for picking up round articles from the hopper and presenting them in peripheral contact relation at the outlet, and an article guide extending from the outlet in the plane of the runway; substantially as described.

19. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a carrier closing ,one side of the hopper and having buckets,-the buckets having seats for receiving and positioning articles, article locking and ejecting means movably mounted on the carrier at a predetermined distancefrom the seats, and means located near the mouth of the hopper for actuating said locking means as an ejector to move improperly seated articles from the buckets to the hopper; substantially as described.

20. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a carrier closing one side of the hopper and having buckets, the buckets having .concavc seats for round articles, article ejecting devices movable over the seats and located at a greater distance than article diameter from the seats, and means for causing an actuation of the ejecting devices at the hopper; substantially as described.

21. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a carrier comprising a fiat faced member closing one side of the hopper and having buckets proecting iaterally into the hopper, and the buckets having concave seats for positioning cylindrical articles with their ends against the flat faced member; substantially as described.

22. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a carrier comprising a flat faced member closing one side of the hopper and having buckets projecting laterally into the hopper, the buckets having concave seats for positioning cylindrical articles with their ends against the flat faced member, and means for guiding the articles in a peripherally engaging stream extending away from the carrier in the plane traversed by the buckets; substantially as described.

23. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a carrier comprising a flat faced disc closing one side of the hopper and having buckets projecting laterally from the disc, the buckets having article receiving seats open to the hopper and open tangentially of the disc, and pins slidable through the disc and arranged beyond the tangentially open sides of the seats substantially as described.

24. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a hopper, a carrier comprising a flat faced disc closing one side of the hopper and having buckets on the face towards the hopper, each bucket comprising a forked member having a concave seat open tangentially of the disc and locating a cylindrical article at right angles to the face of the disc; substantially as described.

In-testimony whereof We hereunto afiix our signatures.

PHILIP H. HUTCHINSON.

JOSEPH KLOPAK. 

